The Southern Nights Chorale is a men’s precision, acappella chorus that draws singers from five counties.  They have sung at the Governor’s Mansion, Clayton County Performing Arts Center, in concert with the Chattanooga Boys Choir, and annually sing at Braves’ games.  Rehearsals take place on Monday evenings throughout the performance season across from Piedmont-Fayette Hospital.

The Fayette Chamber is now accepting applications for the next Leadership Fayette with classes beginning on Thursday, Sept. 10.  The general agenda and program application form are attached.

Clayton State University Interim President Dr. Thomas J. Hynes, Jr., has named Corlis P. Cummings vice president of Business and Operations for the University.

It took more than five hours to complete, but when they finished, their golf cart had been transformed into pure bovine beauty. (L-R) Kyle Daniel, Taylor Tatum, Ryan O’Shaughnessy and Shannon Mehl show off their masterpiece at the Starr’s Mill Chick-fil-A July 10 as part of Cow Appreciation Day. Photo/Ben Nelms.

For Fayette County High School student Rachel Shirey, summer vacation has been far from average.

Instead of lounging by the pool or watching television, the 17-year-old – who recently returned from the 2009 Washington Youth Tour (WYT), a leadership program sponsored by the electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) of Georgia, including Coweta-Fayette EMC – visited Congressional leaders in our nation’s capitol.

Escarra & Associates Insurance Agency has been recognized by Allstate Insurance Company for high standards in customer satisfaction, customer retention and profitability. The Escarra & Associates Insurance Agency is now one of the top Allstate agencies in the nation in auto, property and commercial insurance and financial service sales.

Megan Klar, a junior at Marist School and daughter of Susan Klar and the late Lawrence Klar, recently cut 15' of her hair off for Locks of Love.

Elise Battle, age 11, daughter of Orlando and Sharon Battle of Fayetteville, has been selected to represent Georgia at the 2009 Miss American Preteen Pageant.  Elise was selected from approximately 20 girls who competed at the Georgia Preteen Pageant in June.  Elise was also recognized as the winner of the Academic Achievement contest and Speech contest.  Her speech was titled "My Favorite American" and was a tribute to Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  The National pageant will be held in Orlando, Fla. during the week of Thanksgiving. Photo/Special.

The Peachtree City Chapter of New Neighbors League Club will hold its annual Amnesty Day on Thursday, Aug. 6, at Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, located at the corner of Highway 54 and Peachtree Parkway.  The day will begin with refreshments at 9:30 a.m. followed by a meeting at 10 a.m.  There will also be an opportunity to sample the fun activities the Club offers, as many will be showcased in the "Activity Fair" being held at the same time. 

Ogechi Oparah recent graduate of FCHS has been awarded two national scholarships. She is a 2009 Coca-Cola Scholar. She is one of 250 national scholars from an application pool of 75,000.The application pool was narrowed to 2,100 semi-finalist. Students at this stage had to submit an extensive application that narrowed it to the 250 finalist. Oparah spent four days in Atlanta with the other 250 finalist who came from all 50 states and all US territories. She was one of 26-scholars selected in Georgia and the only one from Fayette County. As a 2009 Coca-Cola Scholar Oparah will receive $2,500 every year for four years from the Coca-Cola Foundation.

How parents can make reading a regular family activity during the summer months

School’s out for summer, but that doesn’t mean that learning has to stop altogether. In fact, says Larry Sussberg, Executive Director of the Huntington Learning Center of Peachtree City, summer is the perfect time for children to hit the books - for fun. "During the school year, most children have very little time to read for the pure enjoyment of it," says Sussberg. "The freedom of summer break creates a great opportunity for children to explore interests, expand their horizons and entertain themselves through reading."

Chrystine Lyons Peeples was feted by family and friends on the occasion of her 90th birthday.

She was born in Fayette County June 30, 1919, daughter of George Patrick and Bessie Mae Brown. A sister, Karen is deceased and another sister, Jacqueline Lyons Thomason lives at Lake Jackson.

Army National Guard Pvt. Laketa Y. Parks has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.

The Marquis de Lafayette Chapter, Georgia Society Sons of American Revolution, welcomed members of the Pathfinder Excursion Squadron of Sea Cadets at their June meeting.  LTJG Robert Wylie, Commanding Officer, and Cadet Seaman Apprentice James Brown presented a program outlining the concepts and opportunities offered by the U.S. Navy League-sponsored Sea Cadets.  

Local author and Peachtree City resident Kevin Downs, 42, has taken the international stage as his thriller, “Spydentity”— the first nail-biting “bio”-industrial espionage cloning thriller to date — was recently published.

In “Spydentity” the dangerous fusion of information and life sciences in a new millennium of uncertainty sets the stage for greed, betrayal, revenge, conspiracy, and murder.

Students from five Fayette County schools attended the very first Athena Music and Leadership Camp, sponsored by Music Essentials, June 9-13, 2009 on the campus of the University of West Georgia. Named for the Greek goddess of the Arts and Wisdom, the Athena band camp is designed to serve 7th – 12th grade girls who play woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments.

Caroline Poole, donating a brand new bike to the Real Life Center.  Caroline won the bike from the Spring Fling at Peeples Elementary School and wanted to share it with someone going through hard times.  For more information about how to receive help or provide donations to the Real Life Center please call 770-631-9334.

An Educational Chance of a Lifetime

At Whitewater High School, a student worked hard for the past four years and held many leadership positions such as Co-Head Editor of the Vision Yearbook Staff, Co-President of Beta Club, and various other jobs like a volunteer or tutor while maintaining a 4.0 G.P.A . and taking a challenging course workload. She has been preparing herself for something great when she heard about the Gates Millennium Foundation during her sophomore year.

Colleen Romano the Director for the Field of Hope, recently addressed the Fayetteville Rotary Club. The club supported this project from the beginning and is honored to share in the continued support of the Field of Hope Challenger Division as they offer a safe encouraging environment for children with disabilities. From left, are Corrie Williamson member of the Challenger Division, Scott Williamson Past Fayetteville Rotary President, and Colleen Roman - Director of the Field of Hope.

Fayette County's Jim Heinzel just earned his Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Technology Management with a concentration in Aviation Administration from Clayton State University. He also just moved up on the job at Delta Air Lines, to a management position in Ground Support Equipment (GSE). And, yes, these two milestones are related.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – (June 24, 2009) – The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Georgia District Office returns to the Fayette County Public Library this July to present two free evening workshops for small business owners. Both prospective and established business owners can benefit from these workshops, which are open to the public.

Fayetteville, GA, June 25, 2009—Piedmont Fayette WLA Toastmasters became Fayette’s fourth Toastmasters club on March 24, 2009. Toastmasters International is the world’s largest educational organization specializing in communication and leadership training. Using this self-help program, members of Toastmasters clubs improve oral communication skills and effective leadership strategies with a hands on approach. Confidence in self and improvement in leadership abilities are advantages of becoming a Toastmaster. Members learn skills by watching others and improve abilities by practicing. A former member of High Noon Toastmasters, Carleton Williams, once stated ,”A Toastmaster stands up to be seen, speaks out to be heard, and sits down to be appreciated.”

Makira Walton, 9 , of Peachtree City hosted her first Alex's Lemonade Stand on Saturday, June 13.  She and her cousins

Approximately 85 people attended an afternoon Court of Honor as James Edward Flohr, a member of Boy Scout Troop 172, was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. The ceremony was held in the Rainbow Room at New Hope Baptist Church which is the sponsoring organization for Troop 172.

1st Lieutenant Christopher A. Taylor, son of Colonel (retired) Chip and Kim Taylor, Peachtree City, graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston with a Master's of Science Degree in Astronautics and Aeronautics Engineering on June 5, 2009.

Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) Solo and Ensemble is an event that is held at different venues throughout the state of Georgia. High School students prepare a piece of music and are critiqued by a GMEA judge. Students may receive a rating of Superior, Excellent or Good. Matthew Walter, a rising sophomore at McIntosh High School, plays the baritone in the Wind Symphony. He attended the Solo and Ensemble event hosted at East Coweta High School on May 16th and earned the prestigious superior rating playing his piece, "March of the Marionette" a solo with piano accompaniment.

Team America, a local group of triathletes, rides bikes across U.S.

Two PTC Boy Scouts earned the rank of Eagle Scout recently.  Asato Masuyama and Nathan Whatley completed the requirements of Eagle Scout rank this spring and were honored at a Boy Scout Court of Honor on Sunday, May 24 at the Scout Hut behind Peachtree City United Methodist Church (PTCUMC). 

Asato, the son of Yuzaburo and Emiko Masuyama, and Nathan, son of Ute and Jeff Whatley, began Scouting as Tiger Cubs in 1997 and joined Troop 75 in 2002.  Troop 75 is sponsored by the United Methodist Men’s Club of PTCUMC. 

Megan Klar a junior at Marist School and the daughter of  Susan Klar and the late Lawrence Klar, recently made a donation to Locks of Love.  Elizabeth Fugate at Hair Studios (1850 Hwy 85 South in Fayetteville) cut off 15” of Megan’s hair. “Megan is a loving and caring person. She believes her lovely hair is a gift from God and she would like to pass it on to others as a way of giving back to the community,” said Susan Klar. “This is the second time she has donated her hair for charity and I am sure it will not be the last.” Photo/Special.

2nd Lieutenant Heather Mahaffey was commissioned into the US Air Force by her father, Colonel Kevin Mahaffey, USAF. Heather was a 2005 graduate of Starrs Mill High School and a 2009 graduate of The University of Georgia. 2nd Lt Mahaffey has accepted the Health Services Scholarship offered her by the USAF and will be attending Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington DC beginning in August. Photo/Special.